DRAGON SLAYER
"Ayeeee!" Sheer defiance, not only of the he fronted, but of the Wyverns as well, that old to his lips—the call used on the Dumps of Tyr to against outsiders. Fork-tail had again for a spring, but that throat-crackling blast appeared to it.
Shann, ready, took a dancing step to the right. The thing was scaled, as well against attack as was the shell-creature he had with the of the wolverines. He he had the Terran animals now—with Taggi and his to and about the monster, as they had done with the Throg hound—for he would have a chance. If only the animals were here!
Those eyes—red-pitted in a his every movement—perhaps those were the only points.
Muscles that hide. The Terran himself for a leap, his knife hand to at those eyes. A shape with a V of its the range of Shann's vision. He not what he saw, not when a animal, with rage, came at a to him, a second animal on its heels.
Uttering his own cry, Taggi attacked. The fork-tail's swung, the movements of the as it had the of the in the Wyvern's hand. Togi came in from the other side. They might have been a in play. And had they such perfect team work, almost as if they what Shann of them.
That viciously, a weapon. Bone, muscles, flesh, in the sand, up a cloud of into the of the man and the animals. Shann back, with his free hand at his eyes. The warily, trying for the attack they favored—the to the shoulders, the on the the neck. But the of the fork-tail, low, them off. Again the lashed, and this time Taggi was and across the beach.
Togi a challenge, a dash, and the length of the fork-tail's body, on that tail, it to earth with her own while the sea to her. Shann, his from the sand, but able to see, that for a long second, that fork-tail was in trying to free its best from the of the wolverine. The and with a which Togi to that by it to shreds.
Fork-tail its body, to its with or feet. And in that to an position, its about, the area the which under the about its shoulders.
Shann in. With one hand he the of that collar—its his flesh—and at the same time he his knife into the soft underfolds, on toward the column. The against as the fork-tail's back, Shann's hand and knife together in a trap. The Terran was from his feet, and to one with the of the beast's reaction.
Blood up, his own blood with that of the monster. Only Togi's of the Shann's being to death. The pointed as the ground the of its on the Terran's arm. Shann, with pain, his free into one of those eyes.
Fork-tail convulsively; its again and Shann was free. The Terran himself back, his with an effort. Fork-tail was writhing, up the in a cloud. But it not itself of the knife Shann had planted with all his strength, and which the of its own were now and into its back.
It thinly, with an shrilling. Shann, nursing his against his chest, rolled free from the of it about, up against one of the pillars. With that to him, he somehow his feet, and weaving, trying to see through the rain of dust.
The which up that cloud were more feeble. Then Shann the from Togi, saw her still on the just above the forking. The used her to her way up the of the sea monster, for the of blood from the head. Fork-tail to that once more; then the into the sand, teeth as a of the tongue, packed into the mouth.
How long had it taken—that of on the beach? Shann have set no limit in clock-ruled time. He pressed his arm to him, past the still sea thing to that of on the sand, the wolverine's with lips. Togi was still with the kill, but Taggi where that had him.
Shann on his knees, as the beach around him a to sway. He put his good hand to the of the wolverine.
"Taggi!"
A answered. Shann to the animal's with his own hand. As as he see, there were no open wounds; but there might be bones, he did not have the skill to heal.
"Taggi?" He called again gently, to that up on his knee.
"The one is not dead."
For a moment Shann was not aware that those had in his mind, had not been by his ears. He looked up, at the Wyvern toward him in a across the sand. And in a space of his of anger into a enmity.
"No thanks to you," he said aloud. If the Wyvern wanted to him, let her make the effort; he did not try to touch her with his.
Taggi again, and Shann quickly. The gasped, opened his eyes, his head, of sand. He at a of blood, the dark, blood, on Shann's breeches, and then his came up with a as he looked to where his was still the now fork-tail.
With an effort, Taggi got to his feet, Shann him. The man ran his hand over ribs, any bones. Taggi a once when that pain in its wake, but Shann no damage. As might a cat, the must have met the of that whip-tail to injury. Taggi had been out, but now he was able to again. He free from Shann's grip, across the to the kill.
Someone else was that of beach. Passing the Wyvern as if he did not see them, Thorvald came directly to Shann. A later he had the arm across his own knee, the still hurt.
"That's a one," he commented.
Shann the and they sense, but the of his was increasing, while Thorvald's sent of pain up his arm and somehow into his head, where they ended in red to cloud his sight.
Out of the which had most of the there a single object, a white disk. And in Shann's mind a well-rooted stirred. He out with his one hand, and through luck connected. The out of sight. His so he the Wyvern who had been over Thorvald's her on him. Making a great effort, Shann got out the words, which he also in his mind as he said them aloud: "You're not taking me over—again!"
There was no to be read on that jewel-banded or in her eyes. He at Thorvald, to across his warning.
"Don't let them use those on us!"
"I'll do my best."
Only the had taken Thorvald again. Did one of the Wyverns have a on them? Were they being into one of those blank periods, to as once more—say, in the of the veil? The Terran with every of will power to unconsciousness, but he failed.
This time he did not half-drowning in an or a green mist. And there was an in his arm which was somehow with the very of pain. Before opening his eyes, his the of a there, on to by touch a sleep such as he had in the structure. Was he in that of rooms and corridors?
Shann opening his until a of him to it. He saw an opening almost the length of his as it was only a of two the of that window. And through its surface came the light of the sun—no green mist, no the stars.
The room in which he was small with walls, much like that in which he had been on the island. And there were no other save the on which he rested. Over him was a light of yarn, with into it to provide a upper surface. His was gone, but the single was too warm and he pushed it away from his and as he up to see the view the window.
His arm came into full view. From to it was in an skin sheath, any of his own world. Surely that had not come out of any Survey pack. Shann toward the window, but only a of sky. Except for a cloud or two high above the horizon, nothing that soft curtain. He might be in a tower well above ground level, which did not match his with Wyvern accommodations.
"Back with us again?" Thorvald, one hand a door panel, came in. His was gone, and he only of a green material and his own scuffed-and-battered boots.
Shann settled on the mat. "Where are we?"
"I think you might term this the city," Thorvald answered. "In relation to the mainland, we're on an well out to sea—westward."
"How did we here?" That climb in the slab, the underground.... Had it been an river under the of the sea? But Shann was not prepared for the other's reply.
"By wishing."
"By what?"
Thorvald nodded, his serious. "They us here. Listen, Lantee, when you jumped to mix it with that fork-tailed thing, did you wish you had the with you?"
Shann back; his memories of what had that were none too clear. But, yes, he had Taggi and Togi present at that moment to the beast.
"You I them?" The whole idea was a part of the Wyvern of and he added, "Or did I just everything?" There was the on his arm, the under that bandage. But also there had been Logally's in the cavern, which had into his with the pain of a blow.
"No, you weren't dreaming. You to be in one of those little our lady friends here use. And, so in, your for the being powerful just then, they came."
Shann grimaced. This was unbelievable. Yet there were his with Logally and Trav. How anyone them? And how had he, in the beginning, been jumped from the top of the on the of his into the of an without any memory of an journey?
"How it work?" he asked simply.
Thorvald laughed. "You tell me. They have these disks, one to a Wyvern, and they with them. Back there on the beach we a class in such control; they were the learning their trade. We've on something here which can't be or by any of our previous of comparison. It's magic, by our terms."
"Are we prisoners?" Shann wanted to know.
"Ask me something I'm sure of. I've been free to come and go limits. No one's any of hostility; most of them me. I've had two interviews, this mind-reading act of theirs, with their rulers, or elders, or sorceresses—all three titles to apply. They ask questions, I answer as best I can, but sometimes we appear to have no common meeting ground. Then I ask some questions, they gracefully, or reply in a of double-talk, and that's as as our has so far."
"Taggi and Togi?"
"Have a of their own and as as I can tell are satisfied with life than I am. Oddly enough, they respond more and more to orders. Perhaps this of being around by the has them in some way."
"What about these Wyverns? Are they all female?"
"No, but their is matriarchal, which a pattern Terra once knew: the earth mother and her priestesses, who the when the gods the goddesses. The males are in number and the power to the disks. In fact," Thorvald laughed ruefully, "one that in this our opposite numbers have, more or less, the of at the best, and necessary at the worst. Which put us at a from the start."
"You think that they won't take us we are males?"
"Might just work out that way. I've to through to them about from the Throgs, telling them what it would to them to have the beetle-heads settle in here for good. They just the whole idea."
"Can't you argue that the Throgs are males, too? Or aren't they?"
The Survey officer his head. "That's a point no can answer. We've been with Throgs for years and there have been of reports about them and their patterns, all of which add up to about two paragraphs of proven and hundreds of with the and out into the wild fantastic. You can anything about a Throg and a of very to you. But those beetle-heads over on the are able to answer to 'he,' 'she,' or 'it,' your is just as good as mine. We've always the ones we to be males, but they might just as possibly be amazons. Frankly, these Wyverns couldn't less either; at least that's the they give."
"But anyway," Shann observed, "it hasn't come to 'we're all girls together' either."
Thorvald laughed again. "Not so you can notice. We're not the only visitor in the vicinity."
Shann sat up. "A Throg?"
"A something. Non-Warlockian, or non-Wyvern. And trouble for us."
"You haven't this other?"
Thorvald sat cross-legged. The light from the window red-gold of his hair, added to his less-gaunt features.
"No, I haven't. As as I can tell, the stranger's not right here. I twice—surprise by newly Wyverns who met me and to be by something physically different."
"Another Terran scout?"
"No. I that to the Wyverns we must look a alike. Just as we couldn't tell one of them from her sister if their patterns didn't differ. Discovered one thing about those patterns—the more they run, the higher the 'power,' not of the wearer, but of her ancestors. They're marked when they for their and presented with the of the in their family line as an to live up to those and them if possible. Quite a of logic to that. Given the right conditioning, such a might work in our service.
That of was the from which Survey reports were made. But at the moment the the other was of more value to Shann. He his against the with his good hand and got to his feet. Thorvald him.
"I take it you have of action. Tell me, Lantee, why did you take that off the to mix it with fork-tail?"
Shann himself. He had no for that act. "I don't know——"
"Chivalry? Fair Wyvern in distress?" the other prodded. "Or did the from one of those you in?"
"I don't know——"
"And why did you use your knife of your stunner?"
Shann was startled. For the time he that he had the native they had on Warlock with the more of his weapons. Why had he not the on the beast? He had just of it when he had taken that into the role of slayer.
"Not that it would have done you any good to try the ray; it has no on fork-tail."
"You it?"
"Naturally. But you didn't know that, or did you up that earlier?"
"No," answer Shann slowly. "No, I don't know why I used the knife. The would have been more natural." Suddenly he shivered, and the he to Thorvald was very sober.
"How much do they us?" he asked, his voice to a as if the about them up those and them to other ears. "What can they do?"
"A good question." Thorvald his light tone. "Yes, what can they into our minds without our knowing? Perhaps those are only window dressing, and they can work without them. A great will upon the we can make on these witches." He to again, more wryly. "The name we gave this is a misnomer. A is a male sorcerer, not a witch."
"And what are the of our ourselves?"
Again Thorvald's faded, but he gave a little to Shann as if that thought. "That is something we are going to look into, and now! If we have to some females, as well as Throgs, well"—he shrugged—"we'll have a busy, busy, time."
